Stay Cool This Summer: Simple Tips for Beating the Heat
Stay Cool This Summer: Simple Tips for Beating the Heat
July 7, 2026 Home
Community Energy Project is dedicated to helping you stay safe and comfortable all summer long! Whether you are spending time with friends and family, tending your garden, hiking or enjoying the sunshine, keep these simple tips in mind to stay cool, safe, and prepared for extreme heat.
Many Portland area households don’t have access to air conditioning or other cooling resources. These strategies can help you stay comfortable no matter what your home environment looks like.
Cooling Down Your Home
Close your curtains or blinds. Especially for windows receiving direct sunlight, stop the direct sunlight and radiant heat from entering your home and heating up your floors, walls, and furniture. Items can hold heat for hours after sunlight exposure, releasing warmth into your home.
Turn off lights and appliances when not in use and limit using larger appliances, like your oven, stovetop, and clothes dryer, to early morning or late evening.
Use fans to vent hot air out the window at the end of a hot day and, in reverse, use fans to pull in cool air in the evening or early morning when the temperature outside is lower than inside.
Keep windows closed during the heat of the day, usually from 1pm to 6pm, to trap the cooler air inside.
Heat-Related Illness and Personal Safety
Stay hydrated! Drinking water is essential for maintaining your body's core temperature. When you're adequately hydrated, your body can efficiently sweat and release heat, which helps lower your body temperature.
Do not blow a fan directly on your body if the air temperature is over 90°F, as this can increase your body temperature and be extremely dangerous.
Focus on cooling your pulse points such as your wrists and neck. Place a cold rag or a wrapped ice pack on your wrists or drape it around your neck to cool your body. Avoid placing ice directly on skin. These pulse points are areas where blood vessels are close to the skin, so you’ll cool down more quickly.
Slow down and reduce strenuous activity during peak temperatures, typically from 1pm to 6pm.
Check on neighbors, older adults, young children, and anyone with medical conditions during periods of extreme heat.
Seek immediate medical attention if you experience symptoms of heat illness.
Find your neighborhood cool place.
*Community Energy Project does not provide medical advice. If you or someone you know is experiencing symptoms of heat-related illness or another medical emergency, call 911 or seek medical care immediately.
